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Eric Hendricks, who represents the McHenry County Board’s District 3, is seeking the Republican nomination to retain the seat in the March 19 primary against Robert “Bob” Nowak, whom Hendricks beat in 2022. District 3 covers parts of Lake in the Hills, Algonquin, Crystal Lake, Lakewood and a sliver of Huntley. Hendricks answered questions from the Northwest Herald. Click here for Nowak’s responses.
Name: Eric Hendricks
What office are you seeking? McHenry County Board, District 3
Which party? Republican
What public offices, if any, have you previously held? McHenry County Board, District 3 (December 2022-present)
City: Lake In The Hills
Occupation: Attorney
Campaign website: eric4office.com
Do you support the referendum on the March ballot that would increase the sales tax countywide to pay for mental health services? If not - or if the referendum doesn’t pass - how would you propose to fund those services and at what level?
I ran for the McHenry County Board as a first-time candidate in 2022, in part, because I was disappointed not only with the votes of some county board members (which included my district’s board member and current Republican primary opponent), but their general effort and willingness to take on the tough issues.
I pledged I would fight taxes and that I would refuse to vote for any tax hikes. I’m proud to have kept that promise. I have been fighting to have our taxes lowered and promise I will continue to vote against any proposed tax hikes while I hold office.
But this isn’t purely a question of “should we increase the sales tax?”. Ideas, efforts, and “outside-the-box” solutions like this proposal are what our residents deserve.
If this referendum passes, it will result in an approximately $11 million reduction in McHenry County’s property tax levy which is currently used to fund the mental health board, essentially completely offsetting the projected revenue of the 0.25% sales tax (which is anticipated to generate approximately $12 million). Additionally, roughly one-third of the sales taxes collected are projected by McHenry County’s staff to come from non-McHenry County residents and would not apply to food, medicine, medical supplies, and some other additional categories of items.
If that holds true, the referendum being approved by voters would be an overall tax REDUCTION for McHenry County residents of about $3 million, while simultaneously providing greater funding for the county’s mental health board. It is rare to call a proposed tax a “win-win”, but it is truly a win for both McHenry County taxpayers and those in need of mental health, addiction, and intellectual and developmental disability prevention and treatment services.
So yes, I support it, and I encourage conservatives, liberals, and everyone in-between to vote “yes” on the question of whether McHenry County should implement a 0.25% sales tax (and “no” to any other proposed tax hike). There is no reason this shouldn’t be a bipartisan proposal and I sincerely hope it will be.
If residents vote down the referendum, I will interpret it as county residents being skeptical of new tax proposals generally and/or believing the mental health board is already adequately funded. In that case, I would respect their decision and propose funding the MHB at no greater than what was budgeted in 2023 (approximately $10 million) with a critical eye on the “bang for the buck” the county is getting to best serve our residents.
The county board recently raised the motor-fuel tax and voted for a modest increase in its property tax levy. Do you think the county should cut taxes, and what specific cuts to spending would you support to balance the budget?
Yes, obviously the county should cut taxes.
The county gets more in taxes than it currently spends, so the budget would remain balanced without any need for cuts to spending. Additionally, approximately $15 million will be generated annually through investment and interest accounts, as well as other sources such as the agreement between the McHenry and Lake County Sheriffs’ Offices. I’d like to give kudos to Sheriff Tadelman for his work on that; it was a fantastic opportunity and he saw it to fruition.
Add this up with federal monies given to the county during the COVID pandemic and our elimination of county debt under the leadership of Chairman Buehler, and we are in a prime position to deliver tax cuts without a reduction in services.
An easy place to “cut”, if even needed, is to eliminate currently unfilled jobs that have been open for 12 or more months. Currently, we budget (and tax) for these jobs despite them not being filled. In my opinion, we should not be taxing our residents to pay for a job not being worked on some vague notion that someday it will be. If there is an unfilled job and residents don’t even notice a reduction in services, it leads me to believe that maybe the job just isn’t needed.
What would you identify as the top three issues currently facing the county board?
The millions of dollars of unfunded mandates seemingly endlessly being imposed on McHenry County by our elected officials in Springfield, the tepid state of our economy, and the migrant crisis.
The county has had millions in additional costs imposed on it by Springfield, such as the additional costs imposed by the so-called “SAFE-T Act” and its strain on our legal system. On top of that, law enforcement and prosecutors have an even tougher time now than they did previously and the law makes it even more difficult to hold criminals accountable. Democrats on the McHenry County Board supported eliminating tens of millions of dollars in future, non-tax revenues with their opposition to the McHenry County contract with ICE, and when they failed at winning on the merits locally, they turned to Springfield to cram down their wishes on our residents. Unfortunately, they and Springfield succeeded.
These two examples alone account for $7-12 million/year worth of additional costs or revenue losses that McHenry County has to find solutions for.
Add this up with residents paying an absurd amount in taxes, the highest inflation since the 1970s, higher home costs, higher interest rates, and weakening wage growth, the potential for ever-increasing expenses given to us by those in Springfield (including the additional financial burden Illinois is facing due to declaring itself a “sanctuary state”), and a state which hasn’t balanced a budget since 2001…or when I was 11 years old … and you’re looking at a recipe for disaster.
Should the Metra, CTA and Pace be consolidated into one regional public transportation agency? Why or why not?
As a general rule, I am a fan of government consolidation. I think one of the reasons our taxes are out-of-control is we have a plethora of taxing bodies located throughout the state. It’s a classic “death by a million cuts” scenario in that each and every one can raise taxes and it eventually becomes overwhelming for residents to keep on top of all the doings of it all.
However, Metra, CTA, and Pace are essentially already “consolidated” under the Regional Transportation Authority (the “RTA”). My concern of further consolidation is that Chicago and Cook County gets to choose 10 of the 16 directors on the RTA, giving the collar counties minimal control (and by extension, McHenry County individually has even less influence). This is a broken governance system which unfairly stacks the deck in favor of Chicago and Cook County against the suburban counties.
Personally, I’d rather see privatization occur vs. consolidation on this issue, and I feel like this idea is simply putting “lipstick on a pig”.
If buses of migrants from the southern U.S. border are dropped off in McHenry County, what should the county’s response be?
I am strictly opposed to any of sort of effort to make McHenry County a so-called “sanctuary county”.
Our response should be to act as a coordinator between law enforcement and our municipalities, and to kindly ensure migrants are promptly brought to Chicago. Chicago is a self-described “sanctuary city” and is the only designated location in the State of Illinois for asylum seekers.
I think anyone who suggests McHenry County should somehow house and care for them is simply wrong. I’d like to see our county residents receive the services paid for with our tax dollars, plus the county simply doesn’t have the financial resources or manpower to do so. It would overburden our schools, lead to higher taxes, and rapidly degrade the other services our residents are able to enjoy.
What are the county’s biggest infrastructure needs and what is your plan for funding them?
Funding and maintaining our roads and bridges. The McHenry County Board recently voted to double the motor fuel tax to the absolute maximum amount allowed (which I strenuously objected to and voted against) and has millions in unspent federal monies we can use on county projects. There is no need to have a “plan” to fund this, as the county has more than enough money to do so.
There is also an increased need for building space for the McHenry County government, and I would like to see that issue addressed via the remaining federal funds leftover from the federal government’s COVID relief. As an example, the county just spent millions on a multi-year lease to provide the space needed for an election center in the county. This lease will continue to be a recurring cost to our county if simply continue to pursue temporary solutions instead of permanently resolving the issue.
Is the county prepared for another pandemic should it arise? What lessons should the county take away from its response to COVID-19?
I think it’s unlikely another “once-in-a-lifetime” pandemic occurs anytime soon and think it’s less likely that the US government, much less the county, could be considered truly prepared. The county learned a lot during COVID and would certainly be able to build from that experience.
Two of the main lessons should be the importance of having good data and to consider the consequences, not just the benefits, of proposed solutions. Mental health issues rose during COVID, and I’m sure that was in no small part due to people losing their livelihoods and being forced into isolationism. And that’s before we consider all the negative effects children suffered from having schools closed to in-person learning. In my opinion, a better solution would have been a tailored response which prioritized addressing the at-risk while disrupting those not at-risk as little as possible.
How do you propose to regulate the use of solar farms in the county?
Illinois passed a law which overrides local county control, tying the McHenry County Board’s hands from really having the ability to regulate solar farms at all. It has been an extremely frustrating issue for me and several other members on the board. Springfield should give local control back to McHenry County residents and stop legislating from afar. That law is just a corporate solar handout and an example of the bad legislating that occurs in Illinois.
McHenry County is addressing the need to regain local control on this matter to our representatives in Springfield and I support continuing to do so.
Should the county allow marijuana dispensaries or cultivation centers to operate in unincorporated areas?
Government should get out of the way, to the furthest reasonable extent possible, of people and businesses. I have no problem with those who want to operate in unincorporated areas and wish them nothing but the best of luck.
I also think Congress should legalize marijuana at the federal level or, if not outright legalized, at least the federal government should provide regulations which allow businesses in the marijuana industry to use the banking system. Currently, they are unable to do so without risking confiscation of their monies and criminal charges due to the federal-level ban on marijuana, and is just another example of nonsensical government encroachment.
What more, if anything, does the county need to do to adequately address climate change?
Nothing more needs to be done. This is going to be shocking to hear, I’m sure, but McHenry County will not be solving climate change. There are many more pressing needs at the local level which McHenry County should address that we could actually have a tangible impact on.
Anything else you want to address that hasn’t been covered here?
A vote for me guarantees your representative on the county board: (1) will fight to lower your taxes and vote against all tax hikes; (2) will support policies which keep our communities safe; and (3) will continue to proactively work to find solutions to problems that don’t involve unnecessary spending. McHenry County has no debt and is fiscally responsible…there is no reason taxpayers shouldn’t benefit by having their tax burden reduced.
I’m 33 and hope to live here with my family for decades to come, so you can rest assured that I’m genuinely looking for the best future of the county and ensuring it remains the safe and wonderful place we all know.
My opponent was the long-time incumbent county board member when I challenged and defeated him. I ran to bring energy and passion back to the job and bring new ideas to the table. I certainly disagreed with him on many issues, whether it be some of his votes on taxes, his desire to continue to fly “special interest” flags, etc. There is a reason the McHenry County Republican Party, and other local Republican and conservative organizations, have endorsed me in this election: I keep my promises and deliver results.
Back in 2011, my opponent spoke about how “after being a village official for twenty-three years, I know it’s time for change” and that fresh new perspectives and attitudes were needed. That’s all I’ve tried to do since taking office a little over a year ago.
Early voting has already started! If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me at: eric4office@gmail.com and follow my Facebook page at facebook.com/eric4office.
Vote for me, Eric Hendricks, in the Republican primary held on March 19, 2024!